100 VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



hurry to reach the ship, which meanwhile had spread its sails ; 

 I had only been on shore for half an hour. With favourable 

 but weak wind we came as far as the Parcellac mountain, where 

 we cast anchor. 



23. — After we had remained here for the night we conti- 

 nued our journey with pretty favourable wind, which however 

 soon changed ; we advanced but little and hardly reached Cape 

 Rochard, (Rachado) where we had to cast anchor again, 



24. — Early this morning the anchor was hoisted again, and 

 we passed the point of land called Cape Rachado, and could see 

 the trees on the coast of Sumatra. There were many big sea- 

 birds here, but they kept at a distance. We had the small is- 

 lands in front of Malacca, called the Water islands, just before us, 

 and passed one of them on our left. Its soil seemed to be quite 

 red ; it is here that the natives get the red colour with which 

 they paint their ships. At about ten o'clock we cast anchor in 

 harbour of Malacca, where the custom house was filled with 

 Chinese, and a great quantity of sacks filled with sago were 

 lying in the street. 



The greater part of the first large lane, which one enters as 

 soon as one reaches the town, consists of Chinese houses and 

 Chinese booths wherein they offer diverse things for sale ; only 

 few of them had exhibited anything remarkable, as porcelain etc. 

 Some of these booths were chemist's shops. In this street there 

 was a large quantity of Cattu Camber* spread out on nets to 

 dry; this is also made here but only the cheap kind. They 

 assured me that the Terra catechu was better made here than 

 anywhere else, because the plant grows here in greater abun- 

 dance. We took lodgings in a house, where the English are 

 generally in the habit of staying. This, like most of the houses 

 in which Europeans live here, was built in the Chinese style, 

 consisting of two stories and a protruding roof, only the stories 

 were higher in this instance. There was a long courtyard descend- 

 ing towards the sea, it had small rooms on both sides, mostly used 

 as stables, kitchen and accommodations for domestic animals; it 

 was called Gmor. The sea was dammed in by some piles, which 

 were about two men's height and two arms thick; they were 

 driven into the g'round slantingly. Towards the middle this court- 

 yard projected into the sea, and there had been a cool dining- 



* Gambir. 



